An Audience With The King (Part 2)

Pastor Rocklyn Clarke - Sunday May 3, 2009

© 2009 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

* Notes
V Introduction
* Bible Reading 4/26 - 5/2: Judges 6 - 16; Luke 22:54 - John 2; Psalm 95 - 103; Prov 14:5-19
> Review
V New Material
> Preparation
V An Audience With The King (Part 2)
> Preparation - Hebrews 4:14-16
V Standing Issues
V Make it plain
* Use accessible language and modern parables.
* Make sure people do something with God's message.
* Keep it simple.
* Use illustrations of truth out of my own experience.
* Impart faith to obey the Word and receive God's promises.
V Introduction
* The Decline And Fall Of Christian America
* When I was a child I wondered, after hearing taped messages from Aunt Charlotte, if she and Uncle Charlie were in the tape recorder.
V Ancient Questions
* Developing a coherent sense of an external world.
* Interpreting sounds as language.
* Other minds
V Software Approaches
* Voice recognition software.
* Face detection software.
V Personality simulation software
V ELIZA
* Written 1964 - 1966 by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT.
* Rogerian therapy context allowed responses without expert knowledge.
* >> Hello.
How do you do. Please state your problem.
>> I'm up late working on my sermon.
Your sermon ?
>> Yes. I have to preach in the morning.
You seem to be quite positive.
>> Why do you say that?
Why do you ask ?
>> I was wondering what I said that gave you that impression.
Were you really ?
>> Yes.
You are sure.
>> Of course I'm sure.
Is it because you are sure that you came to me ?
>> I guess so.
You say you guess so ?
V Personality Detection
* You are designed to detect personalities.
* You detect personalities in other human beings.
* You can detect God's personality if you earnestly seek him.
V Walk closely and confidently with God
V Read Passage - Hebrews 10:19-25
Because Jesus has opened a door for us, we should confidently move in close to God and keep encouraging one another.
* Enter by the blood
* Enter through his broken body
* Sincere heart
* Assured faith
* Hearts sprinkled and bodies washed (i.e. guilt free and baptized)
* God's faithfulness is the basis for our unswerving hope.
* Stay actively committed to fellowship and encouraging others.
V Conventional Wisdom:
* Play it safe - don’t rush in and get carried away.
V Kingdom Wisdom:
* Earnestly seek God.
* Rush in and find out what God’s Word says.
* Don’t rush into a ministry career however.
V Fellowship faithfully with other believers
V Review Passage - Hebrews 10:19-25
* Spur others on towards love and good deeds.
* Keep meeting together.
* Encourage one another.
V Walk by faith - Hebrews 10:35 - 11:12
* Don't throw away your confidence.
* The righteous live by faith rather than shrinking back. - Hab 2:3-4
V Be certain of what you hope for and confident of what you don't see.
V God
* God spoke the universe into existence by faith.
* Abel
* Enoch
* Noah
V Abraham
* Left his home and people to go where God sent him.
* Became a Father miraculously.
V Without faith we can't please God.
* Faith must be a characteristic of our relationship with him.
* Believe that he wants to speak with you.
* Commit your time to talking to God and listening.
* Act as if he said something back to you - write it down and share it with a brother or sister you trust.
V Start with baby steps (or baby talk).
* Parents use baby talk to teach their children simple concepts and eventually those same children master regular adult speech.
* Expect to hear simple things from God first. Act on them faithfully and you will eventually be able to hear him say more complex things to you.
V Conclusion
* God wants us to draw near to him. This isn't optional.
* It's up to us to listen to what he's saying and take the risk of acting on it.
* Altar Call / Response Cards?
* Survey
V Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)
Hebrews 10:35 - 11:7
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
* Are you confident about your relationship with God? Do you believe that if you persevere in doing his will, you will receive what he has promised? Discuss.
Genesis 4:1-8; Hebrews 11:4

Genesis 4:1-8
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
* Do you set aside time for God? Is the time you sacrifice for God more like Abel's sacrifice or Cain's? Discuss.
Genesis 5:18-24; Hebrews 11:5

Genesis 5:18-24
When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

* Enoch walked with God. Would other people say the same about you? In what ways does your life reflect walking with God? What aspects of your life do not reflect walking with God?
Hebrews 10:35 - 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
* Faith equals believing. Noah's faith in God is another way of saying that he believed what God told him. This faith resulted in his entire family being saved. What do you want God to do for your family? What has he said to you recently that might have an impact on your famly?
V Witnessing Activities
V Discuss with your life group and pray for the following people:
* Guests of yours who have already visited Life Church and how they felt about the experience.
* People you plan to invite to church for Mother's Day (5/10/2009).
* People you plan to invite to church for Father's Day (6/21/2009).
> Scriptures For 05/03/2009 Life Church Sermon